Trunk or Treat!

Hello, friends!

Last night, our church held its annual Trunk or Treat, which is it's Halloween celebration. Folk from church set up the backs of their cars in our church parking lot and folk from all over the neighborhood come by to get candy and play some games. Here are some photos:

As you can see, one of our children was very much more into it than the other kid. =0). It was a cold night but both kids did a great job of going to all the cars, not complaining about how much candy they got, then helping Megan and me pass out candy to all the kids who came by.

Based on how much candy we bought, I'm going to guess that we had somewhere between 400-450 kids show up with their parents and such. It wouldn't surprise me if there were at least 750 people who came yesterday, many of whom don't actually go to our church and were just from around the neighborhood. One of the things that drew us to Bridge was how invested it was in the community, which, since it's less than a mile from our house, is also our community. It was a ton of fun to put together a trunk, meet our neighbors, see lots of kids having fun, and give out lots of candy.

Speaking of decorating a trunk, did you see how great our trunk was? We didn't win "Best Trunk" (one family build a haunted house off the back of their truck!) but I'd like to think we get points for most economical. How did we decide on a St. Louis Cardinals themed trunk? Well, besides the fact that they're 11-time World Champions (most in the National League) and the family team, we also needed to figure out something that would be quick, cheap, and easy to put together. Gathering up all my Cardinals gear (honestly, we only used about 10% of the Cardinals stuff in the house) and arranging it in a way that celebrated our team checked all the boxes.

Tomorrow, we'll be taking our storm trooper and emo Nemo out trick or treating. It's supposed to be even colder than it was yesterday. We aren't supposed to have snow tomorrow (it's snowing as I'm writing this) but there will be a good stiff breeze, so we'll see how long the kids last. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Final Preparations

Hello, friends!

As of tomorrow (Thursday), there will be exactly one month left before Megan's due date! In just a few short weeks, our family will move from being a family of 4 to a family of 5 (out of womb) and Megan and I will switch from playing man-to-man to zone defense. Hot Cocoa (Thaliea's name for him) is growing well, which is a good thing, except for when he decides that he wants to play soccer with Megan's intestines. The kid is a mover! =0).

When both Ezra and Thaliea were born, there was a season of nesting that took place as we tried to get the house ready for our new addition. Things needed to be cleaned, repaired, bought, and assembled. This pregnancy is no different and there's a list of chores that is simultaneously shrinking (as things get done) and growing (as we realize there are more things to do). It's not my favorite part of my day or weekend (especially yard work) but it's stuff that needs to get done and I came into the third trimester knowing that.

The surprise for me was the realization that I there was also some work nesting that needed to get done before Hot Cocoa is born. This wasn't a thing with Ezra and Thaliea. In 2015 and 2017, when Ezra and Thaliea were born, I was still doing field work, so my schedule worked on the academic calendar. When Ezra was born in July, it was a dead time for campus work. Thaliea was born in May, which can be a busy time, but I didn't have any student conferences that May and the school year was over by the time paternity leave ended, so when I came back, there wasn't much to do.

My new role and the timing make things different this year. I'm not in the field anymore, so my calendar is different. I now have more mid-year reviews to write and preparations for the second semester to consider. There's a Regional Staff Conference in December that requires my attention. There are also still a few weeks of the semester left after Hot Cocoa is born. So, I need to prepare.

Between paternity leave, the holidays, and accrued vacation time, with the exception of our Regional Staff Conference, I'll be off until after Christmas. I'm looking forward to the time with my family and won't mind getting to know Hot Cocoa, but there's still a sense of the unknown. I'm confident that things won't fall apart if I'm out for a few weeks but I'd definitely like to limit the number of things that "fall through the cracks."

Ultimately, all I can do is prepare the best I can, and pray that God will fill in my gaps. Join me in prayer, won't you?

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Beyond Black and White...

Hello, friends!

It's an interesting thing being an Asian American living in the Midwest, especially having grown up in Southern California. Spending 4 years in St. Louis, 10+ years in CoMO, and the past year and a half living in Omaha has given me an interesting view on issues of race, ethnicity, and justice.

Here's the truth: to be an Asian American in most parts of the Midwest is to be fundamentally misunderstood. When most folk in the Midwest talk about race and ethnicity, they talk about it in terms of Black and White. This makes sense since it's predominantly Black and White folk living in the Midwest. Still, it makes for an interesting dynamic in conversations. White folk talk to me as if I was a White person because I'm not Black (true), forgetting that I'm still a minority. Black folk generally relate to me as a minority but there's still a sense of trying to figure out exactly where I fit into their paradigms of race. Everyone first assumes I'm an international student (because: Asia), which can lead to some interesting conversations about where I'm "really from" (Note: The answer always has, and always will be, Southern California).

For the most part, this hasn't caused me any identity issues or things like that. When we were living in CoMO, we attended a predominantly White church, most of our community was White, and most of the conversations I had with folk about race and ethnicity were with me representing the "minority perspective," a role that I took on happily.

Moving to Omaha has changed things a bit. Our church is much more diverse than in CoMO. Because of that, my social circles are more diverse, but predominantly in the Black and White sense. (Note: One time, I asked an Asian American living in Omaha if there was much in the way of Asian American community here in Omaha and he just laughed...). I'm currently in a small group with some men from my church where we're talking about race and ethnicity. Just about half the group is Black. Just about another half of the group is White. Then there's me.

What I'm wrestling with right now is what my role is in the conversation. I can't simply represent the "minority experience" anymore because there are more folk who represent that experience in a language that is better understood (read: through a Black/White lens) than before. I can be more focused and represent the Asian American experience but that experience isn't regarded as particularly because when folk think of race and ethnicity, it's in Black and White terms.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Nor am I saying that I have nothing to say. Y'all who know me know that speaking up is not a problem that I have. It's just a matter of trying to figure out a new role in a new space with new dynamics and new demographics. I'm confident that there's a place for me at the table; it's just a matter of finding my new seat.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

It's Time for Post-Season Baseball!!!

Hello, friends!

As you've seen on this blog in recent months, you know that I'm a sports fan. I've written about how exciting it was to see the Blues win their first Stanley Cup. I've written about my love for curling and how it might be my favorite sport to play right now. Recently, I've become a fan of soccer and there's always basketball and football to watch. Even sports entertainment (read: professional wrestling) has re-piqued my interest since it started showing on network TV again.

But my first love will always be baseball...

Papa Leong grew us up to be baseball fans, and even more than that, to be St. Louis Cardinals fans. When my younger brother played T-ball back in the day, they had to wear Cardinals T-shirts underneath their Dodgers jerseys so the Cardinals would be closer to their hearts. Growing up, in my neighborhood, you were either a little league person or a soccer kid. We were little league all the way.

For the past few years, the Cardinals have been fine but not spectacular and on a bit of a downward trajectory. In 2011, we won the World Series. In 2012, we made it to the National League Championship Series. In 2013, we made the World Series but lost. In 2014, we lost in the NLCS again. In 2015, we lost in the NLDS. The next 3 years, we missed the playoffs.

BUT NOW WE'RE BACK! After a down to the wire finish to the season, we finished atop the National League Central. We just beat the Braves in the NLDS in one crazy series, and tonight we start another NLCS against the Washington Nationals. It's going to be fun.

Growing up in Southern California, pre-Internet, the Cardinals were my team but I didn't know much about them. I only got to see them play once a year and the only information I got about them was from my dad, the newspaper, or the back of a baseball card. When I moved to St. Louis to go to WashU (#GoBears!), suddenly, I was in my version of baseball heaven. That's when my fandom, and my love of the game, REALLY took off, possibly in an unhealthy way. I still remember running around the lounge of Mudd Hall after the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series, their first in my lifetime. I remember taking a train downtown so I could celebrate inside the stadium with the rest of the city. I remember trying to get on a train the next Monday to go to the championship parade but not being able to get on because it was too crowded. Baseball in college was big.

Many people thing baseball is boring. Those people are wrong and has never watched a game with me. In college, I was a baseball evangelist. If you said you didn't like baseball, I said it was because you didn't understand it. Then, I'd buy you a ticket to a game, we'd watch it together, I'd explain everything that was happening, and you'd leave the game a fan. It happened more than once.

Since Ezra was born, I've watched a lot less baseball. The truth is that I'm trying to be fully present for my kids and so long as there are only 24 hours in a day, I'm going to prioritize time with my kids. But, I still have managed to teach them to be Cardinals fans.

Me: Kids, what do we say when we see the Cardinals?
Ezra: Go Cardinals!
Thaliea: Go Cardafsadffa...
Me: And what do we say to the other guys?
Ezra: Get off our lawn!
Thaliea: LALALALALA

Tonight, as you're reading this, I'll be heading to a birthday party for one of Ezra's friends. Game 1 of the NLCS starts and 7. I'm not saying I'll be distracted, I'm just saying that my first sports love will never be too far from my heart and mind...

Go Cards, and have an excellent day!

~Adam

What I Learned at FC19...

Hello, friends!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of returning to the great state of Missouri to be the speaker for the Missouri Area's Fall Conference 2019 (FC19). My passage for the weekend was John 10:1-18, focusing on Jesus as he calls himself the Good Shepherd. Overall, there were something like 120 students in attendance, which was great to see. We also had at least 3 students make first time decisions to follow Jesus and another 15 or so recommit their lives to Jesus. It was a pretty great time.

The last time I was a speaker for a whole conference was when I did a high school retreat back in 2008 or 2009. This was a very different experience. Also, the Missouri Area was where I grew up, spending the first 12 years of my staff career there. So, being there as a speaker and not as a staff was a different experience too. Below, you'll find some of the big lessons I learned from FC19.

1) I really love preaching. When I was at AAMSC19 back in February, we did a time of listening prayer, asking God to reveal what gifts had lied dormant that He wanted to rekindle in us. The gift of preaching was what came up for me, and since then, I'd been looking for opportunities to exercise. FC19 was a perfect opportunity. It was 4 sermons over 48 hours, which was such a blast. I loved being in the Word, crafting the sermons, tracking with the students and telling stories. I heard I did a decent job too, which I'll take. =0).

2) Conference preaching is hard work! Back when I was lead staff for Mizzou ACF, I would more or less preach every week. I know most pastors preach every week too. That is its own beast. Preaching for a conference pushed me to my limits, for sure. Because everything was in such a short period of time, I was extra careful to make sure that everything flowed together. I didn't have a week to prep the next sermon; I was going to have just a few hours to make any adjustments as needed. Honestly, I didn't even finish the Saturday night sermon until about an hour before the session started. By God's grace, everything got out and I felt like it flowed together. It took some work though.

3) Staffing a conference is even harder! One of the things that was weird about being back at FC19 was that I was in the same space that I'd been many times before, but without any students. InterVarsity staff in conference mode have to do a little bit of everything. You have a conference job but you also are taking care of your students and making sure they're OK. When you're the conference speaker, your only job is preaching. I actually went to bed before midnight on both nights of the conference, which would have been unheard of had I been conference staff. I tried to help out where I could but the staff team let me know that my number one job was to preach and they wanted me to do that well. For that, I am grateful (and well rested!).

4) The voice of God is a powerful thing. The theme of FC19 was "A Voice Worth Following." As such, I had us do some listening prayer during both morning sessions and there was seminar devoted to listening prayer on Saturday morning. That afternoon and evening, the stories I heard from students and they ways they heard from God were pretty great. I talked to one student who had a huge breakthrough in listening to God and it was through hearing His voice that he decided to follow Jesus. That's pretty great! God also spoke to me in helping me craft what I was preaching. Before I preach, I always ask that the words of God be written on the hearts of the audience and words not from God are forgotten as soon as they are heard. Especially Saturday night, I know that God spoke and moved in the hearts of students. It was pretty great to witness and be a part of that.

In conclusion, I'm so glad I was able to preach at FC19. Thanks to the MO Fast Area team for inviting me. I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon, but if anyone is ever looking for a guest preacher, you know where to find me. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam